Children's Adoption Social Worker

Shared Services Partnership; England; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A local authority organization in England is seeking a skilled Children's Adoption Social Worker to work in an Outstanding rated service. You'll build meaningful relationships with children and families, engage in life story work, and ensure support throughout the adoption process. This role allows flexible working options and offers significant personal development opportunities. Ideal for those who thrive in a dynamic environment focused on improving outcomes for children.

Benefits

9 day working fortnight

Starting annual leave of 25 days FTE

Hybrid tablet device

5 personal development days

Progression opportunities

Flexible working options

Qualifications

• At least three years post-qualifying experience in childcare social work.
• Creative, flexible, and forward-thinking approach required.

Responsibilities

• Practice in an Outstanding Children’s Service.
• Work closely with birth families, children, and prospective adopters.
• Undertake assessments in various areas of service as needed.

Skills

Building relationships with children and families

Creativity

Flexibility

Forward thinking

Continuous improvement

Education

Registered with Social Work England

Job description

Job Details :

Job Reference : HCC622754

Salary Range : £40,643 - £45,077 pro-rata, per annum plus Market Supplement of up to £3,000 pro-rata, per annum

Work Location : Countywide, Hampshire (office base Glen House, Swanwick)

Hours per week : 37 or 22.2

Contract Type : Permanent

Closing Date : 30 November 2025

Due to the nature of the role social workers require at least three years post qualifying post-qualifying experience in childcare social work under the Restriction on the Preparation of Reports Regulations 2005.

Practice in an Outstanding Children’s Service and with Adopt South (RAA) to work closely with birth families, children and prospective adopters.

The Role

As a Children’s Adoption Social Worker within Hampshire County Council, you will be practicing in one of just a few local authorities in the country rated Outstanding by Ofsted. You will also have the added benefits of being under the management umbrella of Adopt South and as such you will working in close collaboration with the Regional Adoption Agency to find permanency for children within adoption. You will be working closely with all the children and families teams across Hampshire County Council for Parallel Planning prior to Placement Orders being granted.

What you’ll do

You will have flexibility to work across a large county and although the main office base is in Swanwick, you will have access to all HCC buildings for increased flexibility.

Our Social Workers are an asset to us, and we encourage our workforce to be creative and autonomous, while enabling them to work flexibly. We are committed to providing regular, reflective and effective supervision to support you, while ensuring you also have the working conditions you need for good practice to flourish.

When service demands are high, the postholder may be required to undertake assessments in other areas of the service to support operational needs. To support colleagues and ensure continuity of service during periods of high demand, the postholder may be asked to contribute to assessments across different areas of the service. In response to changing service pressures, the postholder may be expected to flexibly undertake assessments in other parts of the service as needed.

What we’re looking for

Registered with Social Work England, you will be highly skilled at building meaningful relationships with children and families to engage them in life story work and ensuring children moving on to adoption are supported throughout. You will need to be creative, flexible and forward thinking in your approach, whilst constantly striving for continuous improvement to provide the best outcomes for children.

Why join us

• A 9 day working fortnight.
• Annual leave starting from 25 days per annum FTE and rising to 28 days FTE based on experience and length of service.
• A hybrid tablet device, so you can work more effectively and flexibly.
• 5 personal development days per annum (pro rata for part time staff).
• Ample progression opportunities.
• Flexible working options to fit around today’s lifestyles.

In addition to working for one of the top performing children’s social care authorities in the country, Hampshire is also one of the best places to live and work . Located on the south coast, with excellent transport links up and down the country, Hampshire offers the perfect blend of rural and city living. You’ll find miles of lovely coastline, nature reserves and heritage sites, which are just some of the benefits of living in Hampshire.

Additional Information

Children's Adoption Social Worker Candidate Pack

Vetting Requirements

This post is subject to a Criminal Records Check. As such, please note that under safer recruitment requirements for Children’s Services, references will be requested prior to interview.

Contact Details for an Informal Discussion

Lucy Tate, Team Manager on 0370 779 1394 or email [e-mail]

Hampshire County Council is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and adults. We expect all employees, workers and volunteers to share this commitment. We will ensure that all our recruitment and selection practices reflect this commitment.

In order to combat discrimination, no unnecessary conditions or requirements will be applied which could have a disproportionately adverse effect on any one group. All sections of the population will have equal access to jobs. No applicant or employee will receive less favourable treatment because of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marriage or civil partnership and pregnancy or maternity, unless a Genuine Occupational Requirement (GOR) applies.

We are a Disability Confident Employer - committed to ensuring that our recruitment and selection process is inclusive and accessible.